Summer is nearly upon us and for the most of us we want nothing more than to flip some burgers out in the sunshine with our best friends listening to some feel-good music to get us in the mood. Canadian electro-funk duo Chromeo have obliged and have provided us with White Women, an album full to the brim with good times and great vibes. I’ve been a huge fan of Chromeo for a long long time, ever since they released their second album Fancy Footwork in 2007 which stands to be of my all time favourite dance records. The bonus disc that came along with this album featured remixes from some of the electronic field’s biggest players, such as MSTRKRFT, Crookers and DJ Mehdi (R.I.P) – Fancy Footwork never fails to put me in a good mood and even convinces me that I can almost dance (albeit after a couple of drinks).
Fourth album White Women kicks off with “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)”, a seriously catchy slice of pop-funk brilliance. David Macklovitch (Dave 1) croons over a choppy bassline before kicking into a chorus that won’t leave your brain for weeks. Patrick Gemayel ( P-Thugg) provides the synth and drums background for Macklovitch to add vocals and guitars too, creating something not dissimilar to what Daft Punk have been doing recently. Macklovitch and Gemayel actually met in the mid-1990s at a college in Montreal, describing themselves as “the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture”. All jokes aside, Chromeo formed in 2002 and have been an electronic tour-de-force ever since.
White Women features an impressive selection of guests, such as Toro y Moi on second track “Come Alive”. This track features a very prominent 80’s style synth and Toro y Moi and Macklovitch trading vocal blows. Beyonce Knowles’ little sister Solange has proven her worth with her fists recently, but she is also a very good singer, providing vocals on “Lost On The Way Home”, a brooding, slow tempo synth affair. Solange proving she’s just as impressive in front of a microphone as she is in an elevator.
“Sexy Socialite” is ridiculous, harmless, cheesy fun. Macklovitch announces with a great amount of swagger that he can be ‘your boyfriend and your councillor’ over the top of an equally swag-tastic bassline and frankly who are we to not believe him?
White Women is a silly record and refuses to take itself seriously. On “Play The Fool,” Chromeo demonstrate all the guile and poise of Duran Duran singing a cover of the Crazy Frog theme tune, but this is what I’ve loved about Chromeo. They can knock out a tune, but you can tell they have a great time doing it. Chromeo are no idiots and deserve to be recognized as the electronic geniuses that they are. Their music would not sound out of place at even the classiest night club.
One of White Women’s most absurd moments is on the song “Frequent Flyer,” a track with a chorus that would not sound out of place on any great 1990’s dance record. The silliness begins in the bridge though, which contains an aircraft’s passenger announcement regarding information such as destination, arrival time ,and a warning of potential turbulence. Obviously.
Chromeo made their name in a time that was dominated with some truly brilliant French electro artists. French electronic music centres around a funky bassline and off kilter, choppy drumbeat and it’s a sound that Chromeo have championed. Now I could sit here and attempt to tell you about the structure and dynamics behind White Women, but that’s not what the album is about. It’s an effortlessly cool album and it wears its swagger on its shiny sleeve, its a record guaranteed to put a smile on your face. White Women is a delightful album and it can easily provide a feel-good backdrop to any occasion, not least a BBQ with your friends in the summer time.
Rating: 4/5